John Hussman

Amid the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune in the stock, bond, and commodity markets this week, a few 'rotten' things began to emerge. With major indices diverging notably, new highs and new lows soaring, and breadth deteriorating, analysts noted the re-awakening of The Hindenburg Omen signal...

“The problem for Trump is that we no longer reside in the 80’s where a large group of ‘baby boomers’ were entering the workforce and driving a massive wave of innovation and productivity changes. Today, we are on the wrong side of the demographic trends combined with falling productivity and labor force growth.”

It has been interesting to watch market participants swing from “Trump The Terrible” to “Trump The Great” in relation to the markets and economy and he isn’t even in office yet. But while Trump certainly has an extensive list of actions for his first 100-days, there are many headwinds to actual policy implementation and ultimately their success.

"While you may be invested in an ‘index,’ when the next bear market correction begins, and the pain of loss becomes large enough, ‘passive indexing’ will turn into ‘active panic.’ Sure, you can hang on. But there will be a point where your conviction will eventually be broken. It is just a function of how much loss it takes to get there."

Just as was witnessed following “The Great Depression,” the bursting of the next asset bubble will likely once again drive participants away from the market for an entire generation, or longer. The problem for individual investors is the “trap” that is currently being laid between the appearance of strong market dynamics against the backdrop of weak economic and market fundamentals. Ignoring the last two to chase the former has historically not worked out well.

Currently, there is little argument the “bullish trend” remains intact. As such the mainstream analysis, if you can actually call it that, continues to the tout the inherent benefits of low cost, passive indexing and the ultimate “chase for yield.” However, it is here the real danger lies. Much of the monetary flows into passive indexes is actually NOT PASSIVE. When the eventual reversion comes, and it will, the pain inflicted on individuals, as is always the case, will turn “passive indexers” in “panicked sellers.”

"We don’t expect the current situation to end well for investors who insist on taking larger investment exposures than they’re actually willing to hold, with discipline, through a period of severe market losses. From present valuation extremes, a 40-55% market loss would represent a fairly run-of-the-mill resolution to the current market cycle... By the completion of the current cycle, I expect over $10 trillion of what investors count as paper “wealth” in U.S. equities to disappear without a trace."

“The average man doesn’t wish to be told that it is a bull or a bear market. What he desires is to be told specifically which particular stock to buy or sell. He wants to get something for nothing. He does not wish to work. He doesn’t even wish to have to think.”

“In the ruin of all collapsed booms is to be found the work of men who bought property at prices they knew perfectly well were fictitious, but who were willing to pay such prices simply because they knew that some still greater fool could be depended on to take the property off their hands and leave them with a profit.” - Chicago Tribune, April 1890. Nothing... ever... changes.